Electrophysiology catheters are commonly used for mapping electrical activity in a heart. By mapping the electrical activity in the heart, one can detect ectopic sites of electrical activation or other electrical activation pathways that contribute to heart malfunctions. This type of information may then allow a cardiologist to intervene and destroy the malfunctioning heart tissues. Such destruction of heart tissue is referred to as ablation, which is a rapidly growing field within electrophysiology and obviates the need for maximally invasive open heart surgery.
Such electrophysiology mapping catheters typically have an elongated flexible body with a distal end that carries one or more electrodes that are used to map or collect electrical information about the electrical activity in the heart. The distal end can be steerable or deflectable to assist the user in properly positioning the catheter for mapping in a desired location. However, often numerous electrical measurements must be taken to properly map the heart, which can be time consuming if the measurements are taken one at a time. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved catheter that can take multiple measurements simultaneously to make the mapping process more efficient.